A History of Psychiatry: From the Era of the Asylum to the Age of Prozac

From our regular book review column.

The title of this fascinating book is not The History of Psychiatry, nor simply History of Psychiatry. The author’s choice of the indefinite article reflects his decision to present an account, as seen by him, of the most significant trends, and the people behind the events, that have shaped present-day psychiatry during the last 250 years or so.